Liquid nail-hardening compositions are commonly used to harden the forward portion of fingernails, these portions usually referred to as the "white tips". Some of such liquid compositions contain a significant amount of formaldehyde and are applied by means of a small brush or the like. In some people the cuticle and soft tissue surrounding the fingernails are very sensitive to irritation by formaldehyde, and such persons must take meticulous care not to contact the cuticle and soft tissue with the formaldehyde-containing nail-hardening composition.
To prevent any possibility of irritation of the cuticle and soft tissue, the Food and Drug Administration requires formaldehyde-containing nail-hardening compositions to be sold together with a suitable stencil or shield which prevents the liquid nail-hardening composition from coming into contact with the cuticle and soft tissue. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,245,418 and 3,382,878 disclose shielding devices for applying nail-hardening compositions to fingernails. Each device employs an adhesive to attach the device to a fingernail during application of nail-hardening composition. However, such adhesive-containing devices have certain disadvantages, such as being cumbersome and awkward to handle.